Volunteers are invited to join the annual Friends of Lake Cumberland Cleanup on Saturday, Sept. 25. The cleanup coincides with National Public Lands Day.

“Fall is in the air, which means it’s time for this great tradition that brings together communities around Lake Cumberland,” said Tammie Nazario, President/CEO of PRIDE, one of the event organizers. “Since 1990, thousands of volunteers have joined together during the annual Friends of Lake Cumberland Cleanup.”

“This beautiful lake is a source of fun and economic development for our communities, so it makes sense that we rally together to keep it clean and beautiful,” Nazario added.

“Whether this is your first or twentieth cleanup, I encourage you to come out for a couple of hours to work with your fellow citizens and help clean up the waters and lands of Lake Cumberland,” said Jonathan Friedman, who is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Resource Manager for Lake Cumberland and Laurel River Lake.

“Hosting cleanup events at Lake Cumberland is a win-win,” Friedman said. “Our visitors appreciate the awesome recreational opportunities found at the lake. Our municipalities value the clean water drawn from the reservoir to produce potable water for our local communities. Our overall environment and health are improved when trash, tires, and plastics are removed from the ecosystem. Not to mention the lift in our spirits and the physical benefits to our bodies when spending a couple of hours working outside.”

Volunteer groups are encouraged to pre-register, but it is not required. To pre-register, please contact the PRIDE office at 606-677-6150 or 888-577-4339 (toll free) or PRIDE@centertech.com.

On Sept. 25, volunteer registration will begin at 8:00 a.m. local time at these locations:

• Clinton County — Grider Hill Dock
• Pulaski County — Waitsboro Recreation Area
• Pulaski County — Burnside Island State Park
• Russell County — Lake Cumberland State Resort Park
• Russell County — Halcomb’s Landing
• Wayne County — Conley Bottom Resort

The cleanup will end at 12:00 p.m. local time.

Volunteers may clean at the registration site, or they may board boats that will take them to clean along nearby shorelines.

Volunteers should wear sturdy shoes for climbing along the rocky shore. Volunteers will receive trash bags and gloves at registration. Life vests will be provided to all boarding the boats that are provided by the event organizers.

The cleanup is organized by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which manages Lake Cumberland, and Eastern Kentucky PRIDE, Inc., a nonprofit organization that promotes environmental cleanup and education across southern and eastern Kentucky.

The following organizations are supporting the cleanup by donating boats, labor, dumpsters, heavy equipment or trash removal services: Conley Bottom Resort, General Burnside Island State Park, Hinkle Contracting Company, LLC, Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources, Lake Cumberland State Resort Park, Marina@Rowena, Pulaski County Regional Recycling Center, Safe Harbor Burnside, Safe Harbor Grider Hill, and Suntex Marinas State Dock.

For more information, visit the Facebook event at https://www.facebook.com/events/178315074366514.

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